1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight unit and a liquid crystal display (“LCD”) device having the same
2. Description of the Related Art
The importance of LCD devices is significantly increasing with the advent of the information age. Although a cathode ray tube (“CRT”) display which has been widely used as an information display device may have some advantages in performance and price, CRT displays are inferior in terms of size and portability. LCD devices are an advantageous substitute for the CRT due to advantages of compact size, light weight, and low power consumption.
Recently, research on structures of LCD device components and the overall assembly structure of LCD devices is actively in progress in order to satisfy requirements of compact size, light weight and low power consumption.
The typical LCD device comprises an LC panel for receiving an image signal to display an image, a backlight unit for supplying light to the LC panel, a mold frame and a chassis for supporting and fixing the LC panel and the backlight unit, and a PCB having a driving circuit for driving the LC panel.
The typical LCD device is assembled such that the backlight unit is received in the mold frame and chassis and the LC panel is arranged on the backlight unit. In order to prevent the LC panel and the backlight unit from being shaken or dislodged, the LC panel and the backlight unit are fixed using a panel adhesive sheet.
The PCB is electrically connected to one side of the LC panel and extends out of the mold frame. The PCB is bent and folded to thereby contact a rear surface of the backlight unit.
However, the PCB may not fixedly adhere to the mold frame and may be partially separated from the mold frame due to the elasticity of the PCB itself. As a result, one side of the LC panel is separated, and the LC panel is detached from the mold frame. The problem of the LC panel being detached from the mold frame is more serious in devices where the distance from the active region of the LC panel to the edge of the glass substrate is short.